Free rides to the polls.
Barriers and access to the polls keep too many of our neighbors in Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park from getting their voices heard. So on Election Day, our buses are theirs — picking up groups from apartment complexes, senior communities, and residential sites from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and getting everyone to their polling place and back. Free. That's it. That's the program.
Democracy, with a bus
- Sign your group up. One person fills out the form for a building, organization, or crew. Two minutes.
- We schedule your window. A real person calls to confirm your pickup time — 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m., or 3:30 p.m.
- The bus shows up. Everyone votes. We ride to your polling place together and bring you home after.
Ride, help, or fuel the buses
_Get a ride
Live in or run an apartment complex, senior community, church, or organization in Detroit, Hamtramck, or Highland Park? Sign your group up and we'll handle the rest.
Sign up for rides_Volunteer
This entire project is volunteer-run. If you can help on Election Day — greeting, organizing, riding along — please do.
Raise your hand_Donate
Your donations make this happen — they pay for fuel, flyers, snacks, and keeping the buses rolling all day.
Donate to Vote RidesSign your group up for a ride
One form per group — a building, an organization, a congregation, a crew of neighbors. We'll call to confirm your pickup window.
Questions people actually ask
Who can sign up?
Groups — an organization, apartment or housing complex, senior community, church, or similar — in Detroit, Hamtramck, or Highland Park. One person signs the group up and we coordinate the rest with them.
How much does it cost?
Nothing. Vote Rides is free for riders. It's volunteer-run and donor-funded.
How do you decide what areas to serve?
In 2026 we are serving Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park — communities where transportation barriers most often keep voters from the polls, and where we can do the most good with the buses we have.
Why is a bus company doing this?
We started this company in 2011 with the mission of improving transit options for Detroiters, and we're still on it. Voting is critical to making sure we're properly represented in our city, county, state, and federal governments — and a ride shouldn't be the reason someone's voice goes unheard.
What if I'm an individual who needs a ride?
This year's buses run group pickups, but don't let that stop you — email bookings@thedetroitbus.com and we'll do our best to connect you with a ride or a group near you.
Who pays for all this?
Mostly us, plus generous donors. Fuel, flyers, snacks, and volunteer support all cost real money — if you want to help, the donate button above does exactly what it says.
Getting Detroiters where they need to go. Since 2011.
Vote Rides is the same idea as everything else we do — from free rides to school for Detroit kids to the buses you can tour and rent that pay for it all. A city moves when its people can.
